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Former Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wisc., tells Meet the Press Reports that he saw “a lot of similarities” between the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and the weeks-long protests at the Wisconsin state capitol back in 2011.
During a broader discussion about polarization in Wisconsin for the latest episode, Walker was asked about his tweet shortly after the Jan. 6 attack when he shared photos of the 2011 protests, which erupted during the battle over Walker’s proposal to eliminate many public sector unions’ collective bargaining rights.
Walker said of the Jan. 6 attack, “I still say to this day anyone who was criminally involved in activity should be prosecuted. I think it should’ve been done more quickly. But I think without a doubt, it should’ve been.”
“But when I look at the larger issue of, not just the people who were in the Capitol, but around that area, I said, ‘There was a lot of similarities to what happened,’” in 2011, Walker added. “The only difference was it wasn’t hours in my case. It was literally weeks, almost a month that they occupied our state capitol.”
Walker explained that his administration took such swift action on the union proposal because of Wisconsin’s swingy political nature.
“We didn’t know how long we’d have,” Walker said. “So we acted right away. And then once we got success, we kept reinvesting it, reinvesting it, reinvesting. Created a lot of turmoil early on, and obviously led to my recall election, which was unsuccessful.”
For more on Walker’s views on the 2011 protests, and former President Donald Trump, check out the latest episode of Meet the Press Reports.